Cobbler&#39;s nippers



Feb. 24, 1953 E, PETERSON 2,629,114

COBBLERS NIPPERS Filed Feb. 16, 1951 INVENTOR. 771E000PPETERJON PatentedFeb. 24, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

of a nail secured in the heel or sole of a shoe for the purpose ofextracting the nail therefrom.

A further object is to provide a cobblers nipners having complementaljaws each provided with a claw-like terminal which are oppositelydisposed, whereby they may be brought into gripping engagement with anail head embedded in the heel or sole of a shoe, without danger ofcutting the nail in the operation of withdrawing it from the shoe.

A further object is to provide such a device wherein the claw-liketerminals of the two jaws are disposed in offset relation longitudinallyof the jaws, whereby the gripping ends of said clawlike terminals cannotdirectly engage one another when the jaws are closed.

A further object is to provide a nippers comprising complemental jawshaving claw-like terminals, and one of said jaws being relatively longerthan the other, whereby said terminals are disposed in offset relationlongitudinally of the nippers, and the adjacent faces of said terminalsbeing concave and cooperating to provide an opening for receiving thehead of a nail to be extracted, when the jaws are maneuvered intogripping engagement with the nail head,

whereby the nail head cannot become disengaged 9 from the jaws when thenippers is actuated to withdraw the nail from the shoe.

Other objects of the invention reside in the provision of means forlimiting the closing movements of the jaws, whereby the claw-liketerminals are spaced apart when the jaws are in closed position; in theunique design of the clawlike terminals of the two jaws, whereby one ofsaid terminals may be utilized as a fulcrum upon which to tilt thenippers during the operation of extracting a nail from the sole or heelof a shoe; and in the provision of a knife edge on one of said jaws,whereby should the nail to be extracted have its head deeply embedded inthe sole or heel, a portion of the leather surrounding the nail head maybe quickly cut away by a slight rotary movement of the nippers, therebyto expose the head so that the jaws of the nippers may readily beapplied thereto; and in the provision of cobblers nippers which isextremely simple and inexpensive in construction, and whose jaws are sodesigned that when engaged with a nail head, there is little danger ofthe' nail head becoming disengaged from said jaws, when the nippers aremanipulated to extract the nail from the shoe.

These and other objects of the invention and the means for theirattainment will be more apparent from the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings there has been disclosed a structuredesigned to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is tobe understood that the invention is not confined to the exact featuresshown, as various changes may be made within the scope of the claimwhich follows.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view showing the novel nippers herein disclosed with itsjaws in closed position;

Figure 2 is a view showing the manner of applying the jaws to a nailhead;

Figure 3 is a view showing the nippers slightly tilted in one directionto effect a firm grip on the nail;

Figure 4 shows the nippers tilted in the opposite direction, whereby thelonger jaw provides a fulcrum about which to pivot the nippers toextract the nail from the shoe;

Figure 5 is an end view of the nippers, showing the preferredconfiguration of the claw-like terminals of its jaws; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view showing a portion of the materialsurrounding the nail severed from the sole or heel to expose the nailhead.

The novel nippers herein disclosed is shown comprising a pair of handles2 and 3 of conventional design, pivotally connected together by a pivot4. The handles 2 and 3 are formed with jaws 5 and 6, respectively, eachhaving an inwardly curved surface i which cooperates to provide anenlarged opening 8, as best illustrated in Figure 1.

One of the dominant features of the present invention resides in theunique construction of the jaws 5 and 6, whereby when engaged with anail for the purpose of extracting it from the sole or heel of a shoe,the jaws are not likely to become disengaged therefrom, and at the sametime, one of said jaws provides a fulcrum about which the nippers may bepivoted to extract the nail from the shoe with a minimum of effort.

As clearly illustrated in the application draw ing, the jaws 5 and Evary in length, the jaw 5 being slightly longer than the jaw 6. The jaWsare provided with claw-like terminals 9 and H which are so fashionedthat when the jaws are closed as shown in Figure l, the terminals of thejaws are spaced apart. It will also be noted by reference to Figure 1that the jaw terminals 9 and II are offset from one anotherlongitudinally of the nippers, whereby they cannot directly engage oneanother when the jaws are closed, as shown in Figure 1. This is animportant feature in that it minimizes the danger of the jaw severingthe head from the body of the nail, when pressure is applied to thenipper handles in the operation of extracting the nail. Suitable stopsl2 and I3 are provided on the jaws 5 and 5, respectively, for limitingthe closing movements of the jaws, as will be understood by reference toFigure 1.

The claw-like terminal 9 of the relatively longer jaw 5 is provided witha cutting edge M whichv is preferably arcuately formed, as shown inFigure 5, whereby when the nippers are applied to the sole or heel ofthe shoe adjacent to a nail, a portion of the leather or materialsurrounding the nail head may be severed from the sole or heel, asillustrated at 15 in Figure 6, thereby to expose the nail head so thatthe claw-like terminals of the nippers may readily be engaged therewith.

To engage the jaws with the head of a nail, the cutting edge of theterminal 9 of the longer jaw is maneuvered around the nail head byrotating the nippers relative to the nail and at the same time pressingthe sharpened claw-like terminal 9 into engagement with the heel or soleof its shoe. Such manipulation of the nippers will cause the sharpenededge i l of terminal to sever the sole or heel immediately around thenail, as indicated in Figure 6, to permit the application of the jaws tothe nail head, as shown in Figure 3.

After having engaged the nail head, the nippers are preferably slightlytilted in the direction of the relatively shorter jaw 6, as shown inFigure 3, to enable the claw-like terminal 9 of jaw 5 to more firmlyengage the nail, after which the nippers is tilted in the oppositedirection, as shown in Figure 4. During such tilting movement of thenippers, the end of jaw 8 serves as a fulcrum for the nippers, wherebyconsiderable leverage is gained so that the nail, regardless of itssize, may readily and quickly be extracted from the sole or heel of ashoe with a minimum of efiort and without danger of cutting the head offthe nail.

The novel nippers herein disclosed has been found very useful in shoerepair shops, as it makes it possible to quickly extract the nails fromthe heel or sole of a shoe without effort, and with out damaging theshoe. The nippers is also extremely simple and inexpensive inconstruction, whereby it may be manufactured in quantity production byconventional well known equipment, whereby such nippers may be furnishedat extremely low cost.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness ofunderstanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understoodtherefrom, but the appended claim should be construed as broadly aspermissible in view of the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

A cobblers nippers for extracting nails from the soles and heels ofshoes, comprising a pair of co-acting jaws each having an inwardlyturned claw-like terminal, one of said jaws being relatively longer thanthe other whereby the terminals of said jaws are disposed in off-setrelation longitudinally of the nippers, when the jaws are closed, theterminal of said longer jaw having an arcuately formed cutting edgewhereby rotary movement of the nippers, when said terminals are engagedwith the head of a nail to be pulled, will cause said sharpened terminalto sever the leather around the head of the nail, thereby to facilitateoperatively engaging the jaws with the nail head, and means for limitingthe closing movement of the jaws, when engaged with the nail head,thereby to prevent them from severing the head from the body of thenail.

THEODORE E. PETERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 64,733 Allen et al. May 14, 1867740,553 Grandchamp Oct. 6, 1903 858,257 Breiding June 25, 1907 1,202,587Roach et a1. Oct. 24, 1916 1,708,760 Higgins Apr. 9, 1929

